West Indies resume T20 World Cup preparation with Kiwi test
Thu, Nov 26, '20
On Friday morning (Caribbean time)—almost a month after the first contingent of West Indian players left for New Zealand—the Caribbean side will begin battle with the host in the first leg of a dual-format tour. The teams, ranked 9th and 6th on the ICC Men’s T20I Rankings, respectively, are first set to battle in a three-match T20I series, slated to run from November 27th to the 30th, with the Test series beginning on December 2nd.
Prior to the Men in Maroon’s departure from the Caribbean, Cricket West Indies (CWI) named the following 14-man squad to contest the series: Kieron Pollard (c), Fabian Allen, Sheldon Cottrell, Dwayne Bravo, Andre Fletcher, Shimron Hetmyer, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Rovman Powell, Keemo Paul, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr., Kesrick Williams.
The West Indies, who are coming off a 2-0 series win over Sri Lanka in their last T20I encounter nine months ago, will be without the injured Dwayne Bravo, who was replaced by Romario Shepherd in the squad. The Caribbean side will also be without the trio of Lendl Simmons, fellow opener, Evin Lewis—who would have been a welcomed addition to the team—and all-rounder, Andre Russell, having all opted out of traveling, due to the pandemic.
The changes to the West Indies squad could see Brandon King being partnered at the top of the order with Grenadian, Andre Fletcher—who makes a return to the West Indies squad after two years. And while the inclusion of Keemo Paul in the squad is as natural a replacement in the WINDIES XI for Dwayne Bravo as it gets, the absence of Russell’s all-round ability—the bowling aspect of which provided eight overs in the previous two matches—means the West Indies will be forced to alter the balance of their team.
Coach Simmons and company will be faced with the decision as to which of Russell’s skill to replace: his ability to bowl four solid overs, or his batting. Prioritizing the former will likely see either Shepherd or Hayden Walsh Jr., who is no novice with the bat, walk into the team. On the other hand, we could see the Barbadian, Kyle Mayers, making his debut; in which case, more responsibility will then be given to captain Pollard with the ball.
The West Indies, who have won just one of the four series contested under Pollard’s guidance, so far, having just three series wins in their last twelve, will come up against a New Zealand team with their own troubles. With a less than flattering home record, the Kiwis’ last result-oriented T20I series—a five-nil whooping at the hands of India—is a mere spot on a chequered list of results; with three series wins and three losses in their last seven bilateral home outings. The Kane Williamson-led side had, however, managed five series victories in their last twelve, including a two-nil victory over WINDIES on their last visit to New Zealand back in 2018.
The first T20I will be played at Eden Park in Auckland, and in the seven result-oriented games hosted by the venue, dating back to January 2018, there have been 181 first-innings runs scored on average, with scores of 200+ being amassed on three occasions. This has seen the team chasing having a slim advantage in win percentage, with a ratio of 4:3.
Predicted XI: King, Fletcher, Hetmyer, Pooran (wk), Powell, Pollard (c), Allen, Walsh Jr., Paul, Cottrell, Thomas.
Series Schedule:
Friday, November 27th @ Eden Park, Auckland, 2 am ECT/ 1 am Jamaica time.
Saturday, November 28th @ Bay Oval, Tauranga, 9 am ECT/ 8 pm Jamaica time.
Monday, November 30th @ Bay Oval, Tauranga, 2 am ECT/ 1 am Jamaica time.
